When preschoolers are deeply engaged in play, they can enter a world of inventive exploration. It may happen while they’re building a fort or a tower, laying down train tracks, “reading” a favorite book, or drawing with crayons or markers. It may also happen while they’re involved in imaginative play, envisioning themselves spelunking through underground caves or swimming through an invisible ocean. Whatever the activity, kids who are involved in this type of play are learning many different skills and concepts. What can look like “pure fun” to adults is actually a complex process of brain development that researchers are beginning to understand.
When scientist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi saw this sort of immersive concentration in adults, he called it “flow.” In a flow state, ideas come easily and novel solutions can be discovered. For children, the doorway to this state of mind is through creative play. When children are in a flow state, important connections are being built between many different regions of the brain. It’s a calm but energized state that enhances learning and builds emotional regulation. Adults associate play with the opposite of work or learning, but essential developmental milestones are reached through play. Here are just a few important skills children acquire while playing:
1. Play builds spatial reasoning and problem-solving skills.
Kids can be engaged for hours while building with materials, solving puzzles, or rearranging blocks or shapes. All these discrete activities improve motor skills and help children build a complex understanding of space, physics, gravity, and engineering. Each play scenario is a mini-experiment, where kids are changing variables, understanding constants, and making hypotheses about what will happen based upon the actions they take. These are important S.T.E.M. skills to develop in preparation for future science-based exploration and activities.
2. Play helps children explore social roles.
Anyone who’s ever been in a middle school cafeteria or attended a party where they didn’t know a single soul knows that social situations can be complex to navigate. Luckily, long before they encounter those experiences, preschoolers can practice social navigation through imaginative play. The simple act of “playing house” or acting out scenes with their friends can help preschoolers engage in prosocial behaviors such as negotiation, compromise, sharing, and communicating. In preschool, this looks like agreeing to act out a story with both monsters and ballerinas. In adult life, this creative playacting can create confident individuals who navigate social interactions with ease.
3. Artistic play builds divergent thinking skills.
Kids engaged in artistic play are also learning in deep ways. When their imaginations are given free reign, preschoolers are able to practice coming up with ideas and scenarios that challenge the status quo. Creative play also helps children delineate the differences between fantasy and reality. In their minds, they can climb mountains, soar through the sky, or make magic. By exploring what is possible, preschoolers bring a fun, imaginative spirit to their daily activities. As adults, this skill will help them brainstorm creative solutions to problems, or bring a novel, unexpected approach to a difficult issue.
4. Unstructured play builds emotional resilience and confidence.
When children are playing, they’ll inevitably run into situations that aren’t ideal. A toy or material can break, a friend might “borrow” a favorite stuffed animal, or the structure they dream of building may keep crashing down. For little ones, these inconveniences can be difficult to overcome. Dealing with these issues in play can help children prepare to encounter greater stumbling blocks in the future. When tough times come, kids who have experience overcoming obstacles are better equipped to creatively respond to whatever life throws at them.
A Preschool That Prioritizes Play
Far from being wasted time, play is the single most important activity children can engage in to further their development. Giving a child free reign to explore and experiment is an important part of helping kids grow. The Gardner School is committed to providing a mix of academic engagement, social interaction, free play time, and offering enrichment activities like dance, cooking, sports, music, drama, and art. By providing a diverse, responsive approach to learning, The Gardner School gives children the best possible chance to succeed. Schedule a tour today to learn even more about our tailored approach to learning.